Caught Off Guard
by Topazicatzbeth
Summary: When the team are called to a crime scene they are caught off guard and one team member pays the price.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: Here we go with the next one. Poor Wenwalke didn't get much of a break between stories this time. Thanks you so much Wenwalke.**

 **Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.**

 **Caught Off Guard**

 **Chapter One**

It was mid morning when the team arrived at their latest crime scene. They were immediately briefed by HPD who had responded to a call of shots fired. When first responders got there they'd found a well known drug dealer dead, and the house ransacked. They'd cleared the scene and called in Five-0.

"Well someone meant business." Lou observed the gaping hole in the man's head. He had obviously suffered a quick and violent demise.

"Looks like they searched the house for something, how much you wanna bet it was for his drug stash?" Kono pointed out.

"I think that's a fair guess." Chin agreed.

"Ok, let's split up." Steve ordered. "Chin, Kono, check out the bedrooms. Lou, take outside. Danny and I will cover the kitchen and in here."

The team started their search, Lou, Chin and Kono leaving Steve and Danny alone in the main part of the house. Danny headed into the kitchen and started rummaging through the mess on the floor. Cans of food and cereal packets had been pulled from the cupboards, and dishes had smashed as they impacted with the hard, tiled floor.

Danny turned over the remains of a cup with his foot and saw a small packet containing two white pills stamped with an X. He pulled a glove from his pocket and, after putting it on, picked up the packet then dropped it into an evidence bag.

"I found a packet of drugs." He called out.

"Just one?" Steve called back.

"Yeah." Danny replied then spotted another packet over by the door that looked like it led to an attached garage. He bagged that one too, opened the door and entered the garage. "I found another one, and think I found their exit route."

Steve headed after his partner and stopped dead in his tracks, quickly pulling out his gun. Danny stood in front of him, hands raised. But it was the guy behind him that caught Steve's attention. The man's left arm was wrapped around Danny's chest, revealing a full sleeve of tattoos. He pulled Danny in close, using him as a human shield. His right hand was shaking, his fingers wrapped around the handle of Danny's gun, which was pressed up close to the side of Danny's head. Track marks from years of drug abuse could be seen.

"I'm sorry." Danny apologised for letting himself get caught off guard. He had entered the garage and the guy had come up behind him and grabbed his gun from its holster.

"Don't apologies, Danny. The house was supposed to be clear." Steve turned his attention to the guy holding his friend hostage. "Put the gun down."

"No way. I'm getting out of here and he's my ticket. Now put your gun down and cuff yourself to that pipe."

"That's not gonna happen buddy." Steve tightened his grip on his gun and waited for an opportunity to take the man down. Unfortunately the guy was doing a good job at positioning himself right behind Danny.

"If you want your partner here to live, it is." The junkie yelled back while shoving the gun into Danny's temple even harder, hand shaking. "Let me go and I'll dump him somewhere when I'm clear."

"Just let him go, now." Steve ordered, hoping that the others would hear them and come provide support.

"Put your gun down and cuff yourself to the pipe. NOW."

"Steve, please." Danny begged. "Just do it."

"Danny." Steve didn't trust this guy to keep his word.

"Please, I really want to live to see my daughter again. We're gonna have to trust shaky here to keep his word."

"Put your gun down." The junkie yelled, his finger twitching over the trigger.

"Ok, ok." Steve carefully laid his gun on the floor then took his cuffs out and slid them around the pipe, followed by his wrists.

"Tighten them." The junkie ordered and Steve reluctantly clicked them tighter.

Danny found himself dragged backwards towards the car and heard the trunk pop open, but was grateful that the pressure from the gun grinding into the side of his head was gone. He stumbled forward as he was released from the vice like grip and pushed forward.

"Move the drugs into the front seat." The junkie yelled.

Danny looked down into the trunk and saw a sports bag packed full of hundreds of the bags he'd found in the kitchen, each containing several pills. He lifted the bag out and slowly moved it to the front seat.

"Give me your phone." The junkie demanded. "I know you can track those things."

Danny pulled his phone out of his trouser pocket and handed it to his captor, who threw it onto a work bench that ran along the garage wall.

"Now get in." The junkie grabbed Danny by the shirt collar and pushing him towards the trunk.

"What? No." Danny froze and dug his heals in. "I'm not getting in there."

"Get in now." The junkie screamed, knowing his time before the rest of the team, or HPD, turned up was running out.

"I can't get in there. I'll get in the back." Danny attempted to turn around.

The junkie was losing patience, he wanted to get away from there and he needed a fix, quick. "Get in." He yelled, and when Danny backed away again, he raised the gun and brought it down hard on the back of Danny's head.

Steve yelled and attempted to lunge forward as he watched his partner crumple to the floor, but was restrained by the cuffs biting into his wrists. The man dragged Danny up and bundled him into the trunk, then slammed the lid and ran to the driver's seat. He started the engine and crashed through the garage door, causing HPD officers to scatter across the lawn to avoid being hit. He raced off down the street as Steve yelled to officers to call in a BOLO on the car, and to advise that Detective Williams was in the trunk.

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Been at work today and going out tonight so I haven't had time to reply individually but managing to sneak in the next chapter.**

 **Chapter Two**

"What the hell?" Lou ran into the garage through the destroyed doors. Chin and Kono burst through the door from the kitchen.

"The shooter was hiding in the garage. Caught Danny by surprise and took him hostage. Get these damn cuffs off me." Steve rattled the cuffs in annoyance.

Chin unlocked the cuffs, releasing his boss and allowing him to storm out into the front yard.

"I thought the damn place had been cleared." Steve yelled at the HPD officers. "How the hell did you miss that guy?"

"I'm sorry, sir." Officer Hale stepped forward. "We cleared the house."

"What about the garage?" Steve closed the gap between himself and the officer in seconds, and glared at him.

"I...l...think we missed the garage." Hale admitted.

"You missed it. Missed it? Don't they teach you how to clear a scene? You check everywhere. If Detective Williams doesn't make it through this I will have your badge, all of your badges." He yelled at the rest of the officers standing nearby. "He was caught off guard. He thought the scene was cleared. He wasn't expecting a guy to jump out at him and grab his gun."

"Steve, calm down." Chin stepped between his irate boss and the officer that now looked as if he was about to lose his breakfast. "What happened with Danny?"

"The guy hit him over the head and stuffed him in the damn trunk." Steve took a breath then repeated, "The trunk. He didn't want to get in, was starting to freak out. When he comes too he's going to panic. He's going to panic, Chin."

"I know which is why we are going to find him, and fast." Turning to the officers he asked, "Is the BOLO out?"

"Yes sir. I got the plate." Officer Hale redeemed himself.

"What about Danny's phone? I could track it." Kono suggested.

"No good, he made him dump it." Steve sighed.

"Ok, let's not panic people, the BOLO will find him." Lou tried to calm everyone.

"The guy said he'd dump Danny once he was clear, let's hope he keeps his word." Steve looked up to see the M.E van arrive, "Chin, Lou, can you guys fill Max in? We still have a case to work. Kono, we'll head back to the palace, I want you to help me do an e-fit to identify this guy and add it to the BOLO."

"Sure, we got this." Lou patted Steve on the back. Kono passed Chin her car keys then followed after Steve to the Camaro.

It was Kono's turn to cling on to the car seat for dear life, as Steve raced back to the palace. The engine had barely shut off before Steve was out of the car and racing up the stairs to the office. Kono immediately started up the e-fit program on the smart table, and Steve started barking out a description of the man that had taken his friend.

Twenty minutes later Steve was satisfied that they had a good likeness and they were running it through facial recognition.

"Come on, come on." Steve paced back and forth. "I should never have put my gun down."

"Steve, you did what you had to do. You did what Danny wanted you to do. We will find Danny. He'll be fine."

"Will he? He was knocked unconscious Kono. He most likely has a concussion. He could have a brain bleed."

"I know Steve, but we have to think positive."

"Did the BOLO get anything?"

"Not yet." Kono shook her head.

"How the hell did this guy get away? The whole force is looking for the damn car."

"I don't know, Steve, but Duke has squad cars trolling the highways." Kono was interrupted by the smart table alarm to signal it had found a match. "We got a match. Wade Broker."

"That's him. That's the guy. Add it to the BOLO." Steve ordered.

Kono's fingers flew across the smart table then she brought up the information on Wade. "He only has charges for drug use Steve, no history of violence."

"No, history? Kono we were called to a murder scene, he knocked Danny out." Steve started to pace, again.

"I know." Kono sighed, nothing she could say would soothe Steve. He needed Danny back, and he needed Danny to be ok.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Wade Broker was high on adrenaline, he hadn't expected his plan of escape to work, but it had.

He hadn't gone to his dealer with the intention of shooting him. He kept the gun for protection, living on the street. His dealer had refused to give him any more drugs, as he still owed him money for his last fix, so Wade had pulled the gun out hoping to scare the man into backing down. The dealer tried to call his bluff and advanced on him, so he'd fired two shots off to scare the man. But he had kept coming, so he pulled the trigger once more, and before he knew it the man lay dead in front of him, his brain matter staining the floor. In a panic he'd started to flee, but as he reached the door, hands shaking, his need for drugs over took him, and he decided to search the house.

After ransacking the living areas he moved on to the kitchen and emptied the cupboards. Not caring about the dishes smashing around him, finally he got lucky and hit the jackpot. A sports bag was shoved in one of the cupboards, and a quick look inside found packets of pills. He personally preferred to shoot up, but these would tide him over, and he could sell the rest, and get enough money to buy himself the good stuff.

He hadn't had time to zip the bag closed when the sound of sirens pierced the air, so he grabbed the bag and fled through the adjoining door into the garage, dropping a few packets as he went. He'd stashed the drugs in the trunk of the car. Then hid under the car and checked his weapon, throwing it to one side, when he realised he was out of bullets. He couldn't believe his luck when the garage had gone unsearched. His luck had continued when the blonde detective had entered the garage, and he'd been able to sneak up on him, and grab his gun.

Now, speeding away from the house with the detective in the trunk of the car he expected the police to surround him at any second. But he'd made it free from the city without a police tail, and headed to his favourite hideout from when he was a kid. It was an old beach hut on an abandoned stretch of beach. Perfect for him to lie low for a bit and make a plan. Pulling off the road he shut the car engine off and stared out to sea. His body was screaming at him for its next fix, so he opened the bag and removed one of the packets. It had been a long time since he had dabbled with pills, so he decided to swallow a couple at once.

He grabbed the bag and got out of the car, stumbling down the track to the beach and sinking into the sand to enjoy the sun on his face. He would wait here until it got dark then drive in land and dump the detective before heading to North Shore. He knew a guy there who would give him good money for the drugs, and then he could try and leave the island.

As he lay down in the sand he felt the drugs start to take effect as warmth spreading throughout his body and easing his withdrawal. He must have laid there for over thirty minutes in a drug induced haze watching the clouds float by, when suddenly his chest tightened. A pain shot up into his neck and down his left arm. His breath was stolen by the crippling pain, as his eyes rolled back into his head and his heart gave way to the strong drugs coursing through his body.

Wade Broker's luck had finally run out as he lay dead in the sand, leaving Danny trapped in the trunk, the midday sun beating down.

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: thank you for all the reviews and to those that are just reading. Hope you're enjoying the ride. Think I've managed to reply to all the reviews for the last chapter.**

 **Now for Danny waking up and the enevitable to happen.**

 **Chapter Three**

Danny's head ached. He could hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and wondered to himself just how much he had drunk the night before to fall asleep at Steve's and not remember it. Prying his eyes open, and expecting the light to pierce through and send his hangover to epic levels, he was confused when everything around him was pitch, black. He attempted to sit up, only for his shoulder to make contact with something hard. Then it all came flooding back to him, the guy in the garage, the car trunk and himself refusing to get in.

He reached out with his hands and started to desperately search for a latch to release the lid. His heart was racing, and the air he was sucking in with each fast breath, was warm, and only increased his sense of not being able to breathe. He stepped up his search for the latch then, tried to force the trunk open, which was futile, and only served to slice open his fingertips.

He tried to take a few deep breaths and remember what Dr. Shaw had told him in the elevator about misfiring neurones, but it was no use. The space was too small, and the air too hot, Danny's panic escalated into a full blown panic attack, and he started to hyperventilate. It only took a few minutes for his oxygen levels to rise, and carbon dioxide to drop, and he descended back into unconsciousness.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

"Why the hell hasn't the BOLO turned anything up?" Steve yelled. Chin and Lou had arrived back at the palace, and now they were waiting for a sighting, or even better, Danny to call, ranting like hell, and wanting to be picked up.

"I don't know, Steve. Maybe we could check traffic cams?" Chin suggested.

"Yeah do it." Steve turned to Lou. "You and I are going to hit the streets. This guy is homeless, we need to talk to others, see if they know where he might have gone."

Lou nodded and got ready to leave. Danny had been missing now for two hours, and they were all desperate to find him.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Danny opened his eyes to the darkness once again, but this time he felt strangely calm. His head was pounding. The blood from the head wound where he had been pistol whipped, long since dried, and was now itching like hell. He carefully searched again for a latch, but the car was old and didn't have one. The air was stifling and he knew if he didn't get some fresh air soon he would pass out again, and most likely not wake up.

Thinking back to the time Steve's sister, Mary, had been trapped in a trunk, he remembered what Steve had ordered her to do, and decided to try and follow his advice. Feeling with his foot he found the rear lights, and started to kick. Several hard kicks and the light unit gave way. It smashed on the ground, allowing air to flow in, along with some light. Now Danny really could see how cramped he was. His legs were bent and his knees were at his chest, not a comfortable position but it did allow him to be able to reach his shoe, and remove it, so he could put his hand in it and use it as protection as he punched out the second rear light.

It took considerably more attempts to get this light out, but Danny finally felt it give way, and more light flooded in, accompanied by cooler air. It was still really hot in the trunk, and Danny lay panting from the exertion, his shirt was stuck to his back, slick with sweat and his under arms were soaked. At this rate he would dehydrate quickly. He looked around the trunk to see if there was anything in there that could help him escape but found nothing. Disappointed he shuffled closer to the hole and tried to get a look at his surroundings. All he could see was sand.

"Help! Is anybody there?" Danny took a deep breath and tried again. "Help!" He continued shouting for help until his voice went hoarse, and he lay there exhausted. There was obviously no one around, and the guy that had used him to make his get away had obviously not kept his word, and left Danny for dead. Steve was going to love that.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted the guy, Danny. I could have taken him out." Danny could hear Steve say.

At least he knew the team would be looking for him. A glance at his watch told him he had been missing for over 5 hours. Steve would tear the island apart, but would it be in time. His head was already starting to spin from the heat. Deciding to save energy he dropped his head back down and closing his eyes, he drifted off into unconsciousness again.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Steve was losing patience. No one was willing to talk to them, or even admit they knew Wade Broker. Chin and Kono had spotted the car on the H1, but then there was no sign of it, it had simply seemed to disappear into thin air. At least they had narrowed down the area of the island to concentrate their search.

Steve spotted a young woman setting up a cardboard box down an alley and headed over to her, Lou following behind.

"Excuse me, do you know this man?" Steve passed her a photo of Broker.

"Nope." She replied not even looking at the photo. "Now leave me alone, it's gonna rain soon and I'm making a shelter."

Lou looked up to the sky, up until now it had been a beautiful day, so nice he had worked up a sweat walking the beat. However it looked like the girl was right. Black clouds were rolling in from the south.

"Please, we need your help. My partner's life is at stake." Seeing the girl waver he added, "He has a daughter. She needs her father."

The girl sighed and took a look at the photo. "That's Wade, he in trouble? What he do?"

"He took my partner hostage. Do you know anywhere he might go?"

"Sometimes, when he scores big, he goes off to his special place. Some hut on the beach."

"Which beach?" Steve probed.

"I don't know man. I've never been with him. I don't do drugs. I'd rather buy food."

"Thank you. If you see him will you please get in touch with HPD?" Steve pulled out his wallet and gave the young girl a $10 note. "Get yourself a warm meal."

"Thanks man." The girl then ducked into her shelter as the rain started splashing down.

Lou turned to Steve. "I think we should head back to the palace. That was probably the best lead we'll get here. We can start narrowing down the search area."

Steve nodded and walked back to his truck, he had left the Camaro at the palace, it didn't feel right to drive it without Danny.

"Do you know how many beaches there are along the coast?" Steve said glumly when Lou joined him in the truck.

"I know man but we know he was heading north on the H1, that at least narrows it down some."

"It could take us days to search them all, Lou. And if he's still in the car in this heat?" Steve stopped he didn't need to say anymore, Lou understood it would mean the odds of surviving weren't in Danny's favour.

"At least it's raining now. That will increase his odds." Lou wanted to try and stay positive.

"Yeah, maybe." Steve agreed starting the engine.

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: Time for the team to close in on our Danny.**

 **Chapter Four**

Danny opened his eyes and realised the temperature in the trunk had dropped considerably, and the sound of the waves had been replaced by a different sound altogether. His fuzzy brain took a while to recognise the sound as rain beating down on the car. He laughed to himself, never before had he been so grateful for the sudden Hawaiian downpours.

His mouth was parched and lips dry. He knew he was dehydrated and desperately in need of fluids. Carefully he put his arm through the hole where the light unit once was, and felt the cold, wet, rain on his hand. Pulling it back in he licked the moisture from his hand and repeated it several times. It soothed his dry lips but it wasn't enough. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Picking up the shoe he had used earlier, he held it out into the rain and waited for it to collect the precious fluid. Gulping down the rain water Danny was grateful they were relatively new shoes. He repeated the process another two times, managing to get a few sips each time. The relief it brought to his throat was immense. Returning the shoe for a fourth time he cursed as the rain suddenly stopped.

"No, no, no." Danny cursed and banged his fist against the trunk, immediately regretted it as it sent shock waves through his concussed head. A sudden wave of nausea threatened to make him bring up the little water he had just consumed, and he focused on taking several deep breaths to dial it back down.

Finally, confident that he wasn't about to lose the precious fluid, he attempted to move into a more comfortable position. His legs were cramped, and his right hip bone was aching from lying on the hard floor of the trunk.

He let his mind drift to his daughter. He had to survive this for her. No way was he going to let some junkie, murderer, deprive him of being there to witness the big moments that lie ahead for her. He fully intended to be there to watch her graduate school, to hear her valedictorian speech. He would be there the day she went off to college, no doubt having a panic attack, and he most certainly would be there to walk her down the isle on her wedding day. There was no way he wasn't going to survive this.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Steve sat outside the palace watching the sun rise. The team had stayed at the palace over night hoping that they would get a lead, but nothing had come of the BOLO, and once it got dark there were fewer patrols to help with the search. The rest of the team had retired to their offices to attempt to get some sleep, but Steve had been unable to get any rest. With Danny gone he felt like his left arm was missing, and he kept replaying the situation in the garage over and over in his mind, wondering what he could have done differently to prevent this from happening.

His blood boiled with anger when he thought about the HPD officers that had supposedly cleared the scene. If they had done their job properly Danny wouldn't have been put in that situation in the first place. He had already spoken with Duke, and been promised that an internal investigation would be launched.

He had been at odds with himself all night as to when to call Rachel and fill her in on the situation. She had taken Grace to England to visit her family, so he didn't want to panic them when there was nothing they could do, but he knew he would be in trouble with Grace once she found out what had happened. He had eventually decided to hold off making the call just yet. He wanted to be able to call them with good news. Better yet, he wanted Danny to call them.

Aware of a sudden presence behind him, Steve whipped his head around and saw Kono stood there with two mugs of coffee.

"Did we get anything? He asked hopefully.

"Not yet. I thought you might like a coffee."

"Thanks." Steve took the coffee and sipped it. "He's been missing for twenty hours now, Kono."

"So he's going to be really grumpy when we find him."

"Yeah." Steve laughed. "He is. I can't just sit here, Kono, waiting for a lead. We have nothing."

"I could try going over the traffic cam footage again." Kono suggested.

"He's gone to ground. Our best bet is finding that damn beach hut."

"HPD will speed up the search today." Kono tried to stay optimistic.

"Not fast enough. It's going to be even hotter today than yesterday. If he's still in the trunk of the car, alive, he won't have much time. It's going to heat up quickly."

"We can go start searching too. If we split up we can cover more area."

Steve stood up, struck by an idea. "That's it. We need to speed up the search. Cover more area. I have a plan."

Kono watched as Steve ran back into the palace, she then started to follow.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Danny wished like hell he was back at his home in Jersey right now. What he wouldn't give to be wrapped up in three layers of clothes, and still feel cold. The crisp fresh air nipping at his nose, and to be able to see his own breath mist in front of him every time he breathed out.

Instead he was stuffed into a trunk, like a sardine in a can. He had spent the night drifting in and out of sleep, woken several times by horrendous leg cramps, caused by the position he was stuck in, and severe dehydration.

The heat in the trunk was already stifling, and Danny had stopped sweating a long time ago. He knew that meant he was in big trouble. His breathing had slowed to short shallow breaths, and his eyelids felt like lead weights. He gave in and let his eyes stay shut, this time instead of falling asleep, he slipped into a deep unconsciousness.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Steve sighed in frustration as he and Chin returned to Kamekona's helicopter and climbed into the sky again. As soon as Steve had explained that Danny was missing, to Kamekona, he had agreed to reschedule his tours and lend Steve the chopper. Chin had accompany him, while Lou and Kono took to the roads. Steve had packed a medical kit so he would be prepared for when he found Danny. He was determined he would find him.

So far they had searched two coves, landing the chopper on the beach, or slightly in land so they could search for any abandoned huts. But their search had been fruitless, and both men were starting to feel desperate as the temperatures soared.

"Steve what's that?" Chin pointed to a dark object in the middle of the beach they were approaching. Above, birds were circling.

Steve strained his eyes to see, "it looks like a body. Look there's a hut too. This has to be it, Chin. It has to be."

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: Thanks for all the reviews, time to get Danny out of there now. This one is short, sorry but it just had to be.**

 **Chapter Five**

The two men were out of the chopper before the blades had stopped turning. Guns drawn they approached the still form lying on the beach. Gulls scattered and took to the sky as they closed in.

Steve recognised Wade Broker immediately, he also realised he was dead, and by the looks of things, had been for some time. Chin nodded to the bag of drugs. "Looks like he overdosed sampling the goods."

"So where the hell is Danny?" Steve asked searching the beach for the hut. His eyes landed on the track that led away from the beach, and he spotted the car. Sand kicking up behind him as he raced to the car and attempted to open the trunk, but it was locked. Seeing the lights smashed on the ground he bent down and peered in.

"Shit! Chin he's still in there. Can you get the bag from the chopper? There's a crow bar in there."

Chin turned and ran to collect the needed supplies, as Steve cautiously reached in and took hold of Danny's wrist, trembling fingers checking for a pulse.

Chin returned and dropped the bag at Steve's feet before grabbing the crowbar and starting to prise the boot open.

"He's alive, Chin but his pulse is weak." The trunk finally popped open revealing Danny's lifeless body, curled in a ball, and strangely wearing only one shoe.

"I'll call for EMT's and HPD." Chin pulled out his phone and started to dial.

"Don't bother with EMT's, we'll take him in ourselves." Steve replied, already grabbing supplies from the bag to start an IV.

"Danny, its Steve, wake up buddy." Getting no response he tied a tourniquet around Danny's left arm and cleaned the inside of his elbow with an alcohol swab.

"HPD are en route to take care of the body." Chin announced, putting away his phone.

"Damn it, come, on, come, on." Steve was struggling to get an IV in, Danny was so dehydrated that his veins were shut down.

"Steve, maybe we should just go. His breathing is really shallow."

"Just give me a few more seconds. Get the oxygen from the bag." Steve tightened the tourniquet a little more and made another attempt.

Chin grabbed the small tank and mask, and placed it over Danny's face as Steve finally yelled, "got it," and started connecting a bag of saline.

"Ok, Danny, we're gonna get you out of here now."

Steve tucked the saline bag under his chin, and then reached down and heaved up, Danny's head flopping to one side, arms hanging limp by his side. Grabbing him under the arms Steve paused as Chin grabbed the bag and threw it over his shoulder then rested the oxygen tank on Danny's stomach and grabbed his friend's legs. Between the two of them they managed to carry their teammate, who was just about clinging to life, to the chopper. Chin stayed in the back with Danny lying across the seats, as Steve ran to the pilot's seat and started the engine.

"Chin, try and cool him down a bit, there's water in the bag." Steve instructed, and Chin grabbed the bottle and poured it over Danny's chest and head, soaking his hair.

Seconds later they were in the air and headed to the hospital. Steve was on the radio contacting the hospital and advising them of their impending arrival, and Danny's condition. He then had HPD patch him through to Kono and Lou to update them that they had found Danny.

As they touched down on the hospital helipad the medical team ran to meet them. Steve was relieved to see Dr. Pearce taking the lead. Danny was moved from the helicopter on to a gurney, and Chin and Steve started to follow after them.

"Steve, I'm sorry but you have to move the chopper. We need it clear for an incoming trauma." Dr. Andrea Pearce explained.

"But I need to stay with Danny." Steve pleaded.

"I'm sorry Steve."

They had reached the elevator and Steve turned to Chin, "Stay with him. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't worry he's in good hands Steve." Chin stepped into the elevator and stood right by Danny's head.

Steve watched the elevator doors close then reluctantly turned back to the helicopter, ready to return it to Kamekona.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Chin followed after Danny as he was moved from the elevator to trauma room one. On the way down Danny had started twitching, uncontrollably. Dr. Pearce seemed concerned but hadn't said anything. As soon as the brakes on the gurney were on she started barking orders.

"I want him connected to cardiac monitors; get me an EKG, and full bloods. Set me up for a central line, and insert a Foley catheter."

Chin stood at the back of the room, not wanting to get in the way, watching as the nurses and doctors descended on his friend. Dr. Pearce's ordered were carried out, leaving her free to insert the central line, so they could give Danny the fluids he desperately needed. Danny showed no sign of awakening, even when a large needle was plunged into his neck, or the nurse inserted the catheter into a delicate part of his body.

"I don't see a P wave on this EKG," Dr. Pearce said studying the monitors. "What's his potassium? Urine output?"

"100mls on insertion, nothing since." The nurse that inserted the catheter replied.

"Potassium just came back. It's 7.4." Another announced. "Urea and creatinine are elevated."

"He's in acute renal failure because of the dehydration. We need to get that potassium down before..." Dr. Pearce was cut off by the shrill sound of the cardiac monitor signalling her patients heart had flat lined.

Chin watched in horror as the medical team sprang into action, and started to resuscitate his friend.

 **TBC**

 **he he, evil cliff hanger.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: sorry for the mean cliff hanger, who am I trying to kid, no I'm not.**

 **Chapter Six**

Chin watched as one nurse started doing chest compressions, pumping his friend's chest to a steady beat then pausing, as another forced air into his lungs with an ambu bag, before starting again.

"He's in a hyperkalemic arrest. We need to correct his potassium. Give him 10mls of 10% calcium chloride, 50mls of 50% dextrose with insulin. Push sodium bicarbonate." Dr. Pearce ordered.

Syringes were passed around and the new central line utilised to give the life saving drugs as the CPR continued.

"Let's try some epinephrine." Dr. Pearce ordered. The drug was administered and they took a second to assess the heart monitor.

"Come on Danny, come on." Chin whispered under his breath. He didn't want to have to be the one to tell Steve that Danny had died when he returned to the hospital.

The flat line was suddenly disturbed by the blip of a heartbeat, closely followed by another as Danny's heart settled down into a fast, but steady, rhythm.

"Sinus tachycardia," Dr. Pearce called out in relief. "Push fluids, his central venous pressure is too low. Hopefully if we rehydrate him his urine output will pick up. Now let's take a look at this head wound."

Chin remained glued to the wall at the back of the room as he watched the doctor assess his friend, and order a head CT. Danny had started to breathe for himself, much to everybody's relief, but he stayed blissfully unaware of the chaos around him.

Before Chin knew it, the gurney was being pushed from the room, and when he attempted to follow Dr. Pearce turned and stopped him.

"Chin, he's going to CT. I think you should go wait in the waiting room. You look like you need to sit down." She was concerned at how pale the Hawaiian looked after watching his friend's life hang so precariously.

"I should go with him."

"You can't go into the CT room. You should go sit for a bit, get something to drink, perhaps with some sugar. That wasn't easy to watch." Dr. Pearce steered him out of the room towards a plastic chair.

"Is he going to be ok?"

"I need the results of the head CT, and more bloods, before I can even begin to answer that." She replied. "The coffee machine is over there. I'll be back as soon as I can." She turned and hurried after Danny, leaving Chin sat in the waiting room.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Chin took Dr. Pearce's advice and got himself a coffee, His hand shaking from the adrenaline burst. He managed to drink half of it before Steve arrived back, Kono and Lou trailing behind having met Steve in the parking lot.

"Chin, where's Danny? I thought you were staying with him." Steve said joining his teammate.

"They've taken him to get a CT to see how bad the head wound is."

"Did he regain consciousness?" Steve asked hopefully.

"No." Chin took a breath then prepared to fill them in. "Steve he's really sick. His heart stopped when we got to the trauma room."

"Stopped?" Kono asked shocked.

"Yeah, something to do with his potassium being too high. They managed to treat it and get his heart started again, but Dr. Pearce is worried about kidney failure." Chin explained.

"Shit!" Steve exclaimed and sank into the chair beside Chin. He'd been so relieved to find Danny that he hadn't though about the serious consequences of being trapped in the trunk, for nearly 24 hours, in the blistering heat.

"Dr. Pearce said she would be back as soon as she knew anything."

"We should have found him sooner. I should have taken the chopper out earlier." Steve started to berate himself.

"We didn't have much to go on, Steve. We were able to limit the search area down." Lou tried to comfort.

"What if his kidneys are permanently damaged?" Kono worried.

"Hey, let's not go there yet." Chin said. "It's still early days. They need to rehydrate him. He's alive at least. Danny's strong. He managed to survive all that time in the trunk. He'll be fine, even if his kidneys do fail."

The team sat waiting for news. Chin took a call from Duke informing them that they had the scene at the beach locked down, and the drugs had been sent to the lab for testing, the HPD Sergeant explained that they suspected the tablets were a form of Super X that had appeared on the market a few months ago. One tablet was enough to send anyone on a trip for hours. Three would easily stop a man's heart.

Each member of the team sat waiting for news, nervously passing the time in their own unique way. Kono was biting at her fingernails. Chin had finished his coffee and was now tearing the paper cup into tiny pieces. Lou was humming the same tune, over, and over again, and Steve sat, bolt upright in the hard plastic chair, staring at the doors that lead to the trauma area.

Finally the team's patience was rewarded, and Dr. Pearce came out to fill them in on Danny's condition.

"Steve, I'm sorry you had to move the chopper but we had an incoming trauma." She apologised.

"Its fine, I understand. How's Danny? Chin said he arrested."

"He did, unfortunately his potassium was too high when he came in. Potassium is used in muscle contractions, if it's too high, or low, it can stop the muscles from contracting. Given the heart is one big muscle, when Danny's potassium got too high, it stopped it. Thankfully we were able to treat it conservatively and restart his heart." Dr Pearce paused for a moment giving time for the team to absorb and process the information. "His last blood tests showed his potassium was at a safe level. I've been giving him fluids to rehydrate him, unfortunately so far his urine output hasn't picked up, but he still has someway to go until he is fully hydrated. We will have to wait and see if his kidneys kick back in then. It is possible that he may need some dialysis in the mean time."

"Do you think his kidneys will recover?" Steve wanted to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

"I'm hopeful that they will, given time, but I can't make any promises. It could take several days, to weeks, before his kidneys recover from this insult and start working. Danny is relatively young, and very healthy, so hopefully his kidneys will rebound fairly fast. However, it is possible that the damage is irreversible and he may end up dialysis dependant."

"What will that mean for Danny?" Lou probed.

"He would need regular renal replacement therapy whether that is heamodialysis, or peritoneal. The best treatment, long term, would be a transplant, but guys we are a long way away from that now." Dr. Pearce explained.

"What about the head injury?" Chin asked. "Is that serious?"

"Thankfully, no. He only has a mild concussion."

"That's at least some good news." Kono wanted to focus on the positive.

"I've had him moved to the Critical Care Unit. It's not quite ICU but we can monitor him closely there."

"Has he regained consciousness yet?" Steve was desperate to talk to his friend.

"Not yet, but his blood pressure is much better, so I would expect him to wake soon." Dr. Pearce informed them, knowing that they would be relieved at this small bit of good news. "Follow me. I'll take you to him."

 **TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: thanks for all the reviews. Sorry I havent had time to reply individually.**

 **Time for Danny to wake up.**

 **Chapter Seven**

Danny's became aware that instead of the pounding pain in his head, there was now only a dull ache, and the air around him was cool, instead of the stuffy heat that made it hard to breathe. Wondering if it had started to rain again he forced open his eyes expecting to see the bland interior of the trunk.

Surprised to see ceiling tiles, a sharp intake of air passed his lips, alerting his friends to his waking.

"Danny!" Steve jumped to his feet. "Hey buddy, welcome back."

"H..y." Danny croaked his throat still dry and hoarse from all the shouting the previous day.

"Here, Danny." Kono stepped closer offering her friend some ice chips which he gratefully accepted.

"Knew you'd find me," Danny's voice was weak.

"I'm sorry it took so long." Steve apologised.

"How, long?"

"Just short of a day," Lou answered, each team member feeling guilty for the length of time it took them.

"Felt like a week." Danny sighed.

The team all frowned, and Kono helped Danny with another mouthful of soothing ice.

"I'm sorry." Danny said once he had finished.

"Sorry? Danny what are you sorry about?" Steve asked confused.

"I let him get the drop on me. I told you to back off. I trusted him to let me go, and look where it got me. Did you catch him yet?"

"Danny, none of this is your fault. The house should have been cleared, you weren't on guard. And as for trusting the guy, you had a gun to your head. It was either go with him or be shot. He might have kept his word, let you go."

"What do you mean, might?"

"We found him dead on the beach only a few hundred meters away from the car, he'd overdosed."

Danny thought over what he had just been told. "The idiot couldn't wait to sample the goods, ended up killing himself, and leaving me to bake?"

"Pretty much," Chin answered.

Danny closed his eyes and took a moment to process everything. He became aware of the line in his neck, and the catheter suddenly started screaming at him. Their presence weren't surprising though, given how dehydrated he'd been. The headache also made sense as he remembered being hit by the gun, however there was a deep ache across his chest that he had no explanation for.

"Why does my chest hurt?" Danny opened his eyes and looked to his friends for an explanation.

"Do you want some pain relief? We can get Dr. Pearce in." Steve asked hoping he wouldn't have to give his friend an explanation just yet.

"No, it just aches. It feels like someone sat on me. Why?"

Steve looked up at the others, who each gave small nods, agreeing that Danny needed to be brought up to speed.

"D, when we found you, you were really dehydrated. It's caused your kidneys to shut down and toxins to build up." Steve started to explain.

"Shut down?"

"You're in acute renal failure at the moment, and the potassium built up in your blood which made your heart stop."

"Stop?" Danny again repeated Steve's words.

"Your chest hurts because of the CPR." Steve waited for Danny to respond.

"Crap. My heart stopped? My kidneys aren't working? That doesn't sound good." Danny finally said, the heart monitor giving away how anxious he was.

"Dr. Pearce has it under control Danny, try not to worry." Kono took Danny's hand trying to soothe him.

"They're still giving you fluids, hopefully that will kick start your kidneys. If not we'll get McGarrett to give them one of is best Navy SEAL glares, scare them back to life." Lou joked.

Danny gave a half hearted smile in response, but Steve could tell that his friend was on the verge of freaking out.

"Danny, its acute renal failure, which means your kidneys have taken a hell of a beating from being so dehydrated, and they just need a rest. Dr. Pearce said it might take a few days, and you might need some dialysis, but she was hopeful they would kick back in eventually."

"Eventually?" Danny choked.

"How about I take over the explaining from here?" Dr. Pearce said arriving at the door, and the team let out a breath of relief. "You guys go get a drink. I'd like to examine Danny."

Chin, Kono, and Lou left the Critical Care Unit and headed for the canteen, but Steve didn't move staying behind to support his friend. Dr. Pearce examined Danny then sat down to explain the situation and answer any questions that Danny, and Steve, had. Once finished, Danny and Steve both felt better about the situation.

When the team returned, Danny was sleeping, Steve's hand resting on his friends forearm, providing comfort. Steve was sat quietly by his side, staring disappointedly at the bag that hung below the bed, which sadly remained empty.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

The team stayed by Danny's side until late evening. They brought him up to speed with how they had managed to find him, and Danny explained how he had managed to kick out the lights and even get a drink using his shoe. Steve couldn't be more proud of his best friend, and his resourcefulness. The nursing staff continued to monitor Danny closely, still replacing his fluids. Danny had managed to drink a satisfactory amount to relieve his sore, and dry, throat.

Lou excused himself to head home to the family, once he knew Danny was out of immediate danger, and Chin, and Kono, followed an hour later. Only Steve remained, and he had no intention of leaving. He had already cleared it with Dr. Pearce for him to stay the night. He was concerned that Danny had been very quiet all evening. Just looking at Danny's bruised and swollen fingers, some wrapped in band aids to cover the fleshy pads that had been tore open, Steve could tell that Danny had desperately tried to get out of the trunk. Knowing his friends hatred of small spaces he also knew that Danny had been through hell.

Without Steve verbalising it, Danny already knew the SEAL would be staying with him. He didn't want to admit it, but he was grateful. After spending a full day with only himself for company he didn't want to be left alone. He also didn't want to admit that he was scared silly that his kidney function wouldn't recover.

"Danny, are you in pain?" Steve had seen his friend carefully rubbing up and down his sternum with his hand.

"Huh?" Danny replied. He had been lost in thought, remembering his time in the trunk.

"I asked if you were in pain. Does your chest hurt?"

"Oh, yeah, a bit, it's aching." Danny answered honestly.

"I'll get a nurse." Steve jumped to his feet and left the room before Danny could object.

Danny sighed and rolled over onto his side, attempted to curl his legs up. His muscles were screaming at him from spending hours in such cramped conditions, and strangely they felt better resuming the position he had been forced to lay in for so long. Curling into a foetal position, Danny winced as his leg caught the tubing of the catheter causing it to tug in a delicate place, and he wondered how long he would have to put up with the monstrosity.

Steve returned to the room after speaking with the nurse, and his step faltered for a second when his eyes rested on his friend. His mind flashed back to the image of Danny lying in the same position in the trunk, his body lifeless and still. Shaking the images from his mind he returned to his seat by Danny's side.

"The nurse is getting you something."

"Thanks." Danny smiled, but before he could say anything more the nurse entered the room and gave Danny some pain relief. She then snapped a heat pack, starting the chemical reaction, and placed it against Danny's chest before leaving the room again.

Danny closed his eyes, and Steve saw a small smile of relief dance around his lips as the heat worked its way into his friends aching chest.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks." Danny opened his eyes and watched Steve attempt to settle back in the chair. "Thanks for staying." He added closing his eyes again and trying to let his body relax.

"I just spent the past day worried out of my mind, not knowing where you were. I'm not going anywhere, Danno." Steve reached over to the bed and resting his hand in Danny's forearm like he had previously that day.

Danny just smiled and let the comfort from the heat pad, and his friend's support, lull him into a restful sleep.

Steve also let himself relax, a quick glance at the bag at the bottom of Danny's bed told him his friend's kidneys were still not working, and he knew if that was still the case by the morning then the likelihood was that Danny would need dialysis, a scary prospect for all of them. If he was going to support his friend through this then he would need to get his rest also. So he rested his head against the high back of the chair and stretched his legs out. Closing his eyes he was also out for the count, exhausted from staying up all night in search of Danny.

 **TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: A big thanks to everyone who is still with me in this one and have left a review.**

 **Chapter Eight**

Steve was pleased to see a flash of his Danny the next morning when the night nurse arrived at 6am to take more bloods. Danny had been rather grumpy at being woken, and literally grunted, when rolled over so she could access the central line to obtain the bloods.

Thankfully he was in a much better mood by the time the morning staff arrived, and they were pleased to see that Dr. Pearce had pulled some strings and had Dawn, the teams usual nurse, assigned to the Critical Care Unit instead of the ICU for the duration of Danny's stay.

Steve was relieved to see Danny manage to get out of bed, unaided, and even walk to the bathroom to freshen up. He moved slow, and was evidently stiff, but he made it there, and back, and obviously feeling better for the wash and clean gown.

"Hey guys. Danny, how are you feeling today?" The two men looked up as Dr. Pearce entered the room.

"Better, thanks. Stiff and achy, but I don't feel like a baked potato any more."

"Well the fluids have obviously helped there." Dr. Pearce laughed as she started to look over Danny's chart and blood results, before examining Danny. Steve stood to the side, waiting to see what was said. His friend's catheter bag remained stubbornly empty, and Steve knew that didn't bode well.

"Ok, Danny, I'm please that the concussion is resolving, and we have managed to rehydrate you. We can remove the line from your neck now."

Danny nodded eager to get the annoying line removed as it pulled uncomfortably every time he moved his head.

"Now, for your kidneys. I'm afraid you still don't have any urine output, and the toxins in your blood are increasing."

"That's not good, is it?" Danny swallowed back his anxiety.

"No, it's not. But it's still early days. It doesn't mean that your kidneys won't recovery. They just need a little help until they decide to kick back in again." Dr. Pearce explained.

"What about his potassium? Is that high again?" Steve was concerned. His friend's heart had already stopped once and he didn't want to risk that happening again.

"It is rising, it's up to 6.5, and given what happened yesterday, I think we need to do some dialysis today Danny."

"Can't you just treat it like yesterday? Do I really need dialysis?" Danny asked.

"Danny the urea and creatinine in your blood is also rising, now these aren't as dangerous as the potassium, but they will build up and make you feel unwell. I wouldn't suggest dialysis if I didn't think it was in your best interest. I've spoken with the renal specialists, and they advised this route."

"So what now?" Danny sank his head back into his pillow and let out a sigh.

Dr. Pearce came and perched on the edge of Danny's bed and took his hand, she wouldn't usually do this with her patients, but Danny wasn't just another patient, he was her friend too.

"I know its scary Danny, but I promise it's for the best. I will need to insert a new line for the dialysis, into your groin."

"A new line, can't you just use the one in his neck?" Steve asked.

"I'm afraid not. The lumens are too small, but the procedure to insert it is the same. I'll insert the line and then we can connect you up to the dialysis machine. The line can stay in place for up to a week, and hopefully after that, we won't need it as your kidneys will have picked up."

"What if they don't?" Danny needed to know, to be prepared. After all he was a glass half empty kind of guy, as Steve liked to tell him.

"If they don't we will most likely look at a more permanent line, and we can let you go home and come in for dialysis as an out patient, but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"When will this happen?" Steve asked.

"I'll finish my rounds and then come and put the line in. In the meantime Dawn can remove the other line and set the room up for dialysis. Now Danny I hate to punch a guy when he's down."

"Oh, really?" Danny laughed, "Go on, what else? Let me have it."

"Because you're not producing any urine, we need to be careful with how much fluids you take in. I'm afraid we are going to have to restrict it to a litre a day, and there are some diet restrictions we will have to impose."

"Great." Danny sighed, although right then he didn't have an appetite for anything, in fact he suddenly felt rather nauseous.

"Hang in there Danny." She said giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You're lucky to be alive, another hour in that trunk and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Dr. Pearce then left to continue her rounds, leaving Danny in Dawn's capable hands.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Danny was nervous, Dr. Pearce had returned and was about to insert the dialysis line. Steve had been made to leave the room, and part of him wished like hell his friend was there to hold his hand, and calm him down. Taking a deep breath he tried to ignore the fact that he felt exposed. Lying in his bed, his gown had been respectfully folded back and a sterile drape lay across his body, a hole in the centre allowing them access to the left side of his groin.

Dr. Pearce had finished washing her hands, and with the help of Dawn, she was putting on a sterile gown, and setting up her instrument tray.

"Let's get started then." Dr. Pearce stated. Danny just nodded and closed his eyes. A cold liquid to his groin startled him.

"Jeez, you could warn a guy." His eyes popped open, and he decided it was probably best to watch what was happening so he didn't jump again.

"Sorry Danny. I should have warned you that it would be cold. It's just an alcohol swab to disinfect the area."

Danny nodded again and Dr. Pearce continued explaining that she was going to numb the area. He bit his lip as the local anaesthetic was injected, and stung like hell. This made him wondered why something that was supposed to prevent pain would cause it in the first place. Perhaps it would be better to just do without it. Then he rethought that idea when he saw the size of the needle about to be advanced into his skin. Using on ultrasound probe Dr. Pearce skilfully located the femoral vein with the three inch needle, and then advanced a guide wire. Removing the needle, but leaving the wire in place, she then picked up a dilator and threaded it over the guide wire.

Dr. Pearce continued to talk Danny through the procedure, which he was grateful for, and Dawn came around and took hold of his hand as he screwed up his face against the pressure in his groin. It wasn't painful, thanks to the local anaesthetic, but it was a strange, uncomfortable feeling, none the less.

Danny watched as Dr. Pearce inserted the dialysis line and removed the guide wire. Then stitched the line into place and covered the site with a dressing. She then locked the line with heparin to prevent clotting.

"All done, Danny," Dr. Pearce removed the sterile drape and pulled up the bed covers to maintain Danny's dignity. "We'll start off gentle. Just a two hour session, today, on a low blood flow, that should bring down your potassium to a safe level."

"Ok, can Steve come back in? Can he stay during the dialysis?"

"As long as he stays out of the way as the nurses will need to get into the machine."

Steve was allowed back into the room. "You ok?"

"Yeah, it wasn't so bad." Danny replied, he neglected to add that he was grateful that he considered the two women in the room friends, and trusted them implicitly with his medical care, which was the only reason he had managed to stay calm.

Steve moved to the right of the bed as Dawn wheeled the dialysis machine in and connected it up to the plumbing in the room. Twenty minutes later Dawn and one of her colleagues were busy connecting Danny to the machine. They had given both Danny and Steve a brief explanation on how the machine worked, and both men watched in fascination as Danny's blood was pulled out from his body by the pump and circulated through the lines until it reached the artificial kidney, which contained thousands of filaments that acted as a semi permeable membrane, and filtered out the toxins. Once through the kidney the blood was then returned to Danny via a safety devise that made sure no clots or air went with it.

Having it explained, and seeing it in action, made it a lot less scary, and Danny was relieved to find he didn't feel unwell, just perhaps a little cold. Not surprising given a fair amount of blood was outside his body. As if she could read his mind, Dawn placed another blanket over her patient, and Danny smiled gratefully to her.

Looking at the clock he noted the time and started the countdown until the treatment was over.

 **TBC**

 **I'm a dialysis nurse. Of course Danny was going to need it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Note: thank you for the reviews and pm's. I love getting them.**

 **Chapter Nine**

Danny opened his eyes to the darkness. Panic rose up in his chest and he reached out in front of him, his hand connecting with the trunk lid. What the hell had happened? How had he ended up back in the trunk? Had he been taken from the hospital while he slept? Had it all been a dream, and he hadn't been found at all?

"Help!" He screamed out, banging on the trunk with his fists. "Get me out of here, Steve, help!"

"Danno, I'm scared. I don't like it in here." A small voice said.

Looking down at his feet he saw his beautiful daughter trembling, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Gracie, baby. No! What are you doing here? No, you can't be here." Danny sobbed. "Help! Steve, get us out of here." Danny once again started desperately banging on the trunk as Grace started wailing.

"Daddy, help. I don't like it. I can't breathe, help daddy get us out."

"I'm trying monkey, I'm trying." Danny attempted to comfort his daughter, but he was also having trouble breathing, and the sides of the trunk seemed to be closing in. Panting for breath, Danny struggled to call for help, or talk to Grace, who was now screaming and clawing at the trunk herself. He felt useless. He couldn't help his daughter, or comfort her. What kind of a father did that make him? His chest felt tight, and he struggled to get air in. It felt like he was trying to breathe under water.

Lurching forward, Danny sat upright in bed, heaving in large lungs full of air. Looking around he realised he was safe in his hospital room. It had all been a dream. Yet he still couldn't catch his breath. The feeling of breathing through water was still there, and his heart was racing,

Dawn raced into the room, unhooked the oxygen mask from behind the bed, and placed it over his face, turning the oxygen up full.

"Try and slow down your breathing for me Danny. I've paged Dr. Pearce she's on her way, just take steady breaths." She grabbed the bed remote and moved the head of the bed up as much as it would go, so Danny could rest back but still remain upright.

"Why...can't...I...breathe?" Danny coughed, and was shocked at the frothy sputum that came with it.

"I think the fluid has built up in your lungs and you're in pulmonary oedema. You're probably going to need more dialysis.

Danny groaned, he had already had three dialysis sessions, and after the third he'd started to pass small amounts of urine, much to the excitement of the team. Because of this the medical team had decided to hold off on any more dialysis in the hopes that Danny's kidneys would continue to recover.

Despite sticking to the one litre restriction and now passing a small amount of urine, which was enough to keep his blood figures stable, he was retaining fluid. His ankles were swollen, his face puffier than usual, and now it seemed he was drowning in his own body.

Dr. Pearce ran into the room and started listening to Danny's chest then ordered the dialysis machine to be set up. "I was...having a...nightmare. Woke up...couldn't...breathe." Danny panted.

"You'll feel better once we remove some of this fluid. We're going to do a treatment called isolated ultrafiltration. It will just remove the fluid, and not the toxins. I don't want to stop your kidneys from doing that, but until they improve enough we are going to need to remove some of this fluid so you can breathe better." Dr. Pearce explained.

Danny just nodded, at that point he would agree to anything if it eased the tightness in his chest.

Within twenty minutes the dialysis machine was set up, and Danny connected to it. Another thirty minutes and Danny was finally breathing easier, although he wasn't ready to part with the oxygen mask.

Steve hurried into the room and stopped at the foot of Danny's bed.

"You ok? I knew I shouldn't have gone into work today."

"I'm ok, now." Danny responded. "What are you doing here?"

"Dawn called me, filled me in." Steve explained. "She also mentioned you had a nightmare, said you seemed pretty shaken."

"I couldn't breathe, of course I was shaken." Danny looked down at the bed sheet and avoided making eye contact with Steve.

"No it was more than that, I can tell just by looking at you."

Danny looked at Steve, knowing it was pointless lying to his friend. "I was trapped in the trunk again, but...," Danny paused.

"But what, Danny?"

"Grace was there. The whole time I was trapped in that trunk the only thing that got me through it was thinking about Grace, that I needed to survive for her. She was in my dream, she was scared."

"It was a dream, Danny, Grace is safe. You spoke to her on the phone last night. You survived it and your kidneys are doing better."

"Yeah so much better that I just woke up drowning on dry land." Danny eyed the dialysis machine with disgust.

"Dr. Pearce said it could take time, you just need to be patient."

"That's easy for you to say, you're not the one stuck in here. I was caught off guard and look where it got me, stuck on a machine with a nurse measuring my pee every hour." Danny ranted.

"And two days ago there was no pee to measure. Three days before that, your heart stopped. It's all relative, Danny." Steve reasoned.

"All, relative?" Danny laughed and finally cracked a smile.

"You ok now?" Steve smiled, seeing his friend start to relax.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for talking me down, buddy. I'm ok it was just a stupid dream. You can go back to work now."

"Nah, I'm good here. It was a slow day." Steve rested back and put his feet up on the bed.

"Do you mind you Neanderthal? This is my sick bed, I don't want your boots dirtying the sheets and giving me an infection." Danny's rant caused Steve to smile. A ranting Danny was an ok Danny.

Kicking off his boots he returned his feet to the bed. "Better?" He taunted.

"I'm just grateful I'm on oxygen so the stench of your feet doesn't knock me out."

"Awe Danno, you wound me." Steve put his hand to his heart.

Danny just smiled, grateful to have company to pass his remaining time on the machine.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

Danny felt much better after the fluid was removed, and Dr. Pearce called by to review him. She prescribed him some medication to encourage his kidneys to remove more fluid and allowed the oxygen mask to be removed. The two friends sat watching TV for the rest of the afternoon. Dawn kept coming in every hour to measure Danny's output. Steve noticed a smile dance across her face on her last visit, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the team arrived just as Danny's dinner arrived. They brought food for Steve, as well as themselves, and they all sat down to eat together. Danny eyed their Chinese food with envy as he pushed his bland vegetables and chicken around his plate.

"Not hungry Danny?" Kono asked concerned.

"Not really, everything kinda tastes the same. I'd kill for a good pizza right now."

The team all felt guilty for eating in front of him.

"Sorry Danny, we shouldn't have brought our food." Chin apologised.

"Hey, it's ok. Just because I can't eat certain things, doesn't mean you can't as well. I'm just grateful for the company."

Everyone quickly finished their meal, and Lou cleared everything away. Dawn returned to the room, this time only half an hour after her last visit. Steve watched as she bent down and measured the urine in the urometer.

"Is all that just in 30 minutes?" Steve asked excitedly.

"Sure is." Dawn grinned. "Looks like someone's kidneys have gone into overdrive."

"Really, let me see." Kono excitedly moved from the far side of the bed.

"Way to go, Williams." Lou chipped in.

"That's great news Danny." Chin beamed.

"Seriously? Seriously? Are we all having a party over my pee, somebody kill me now." Danny flushed red.

"Danny, this is a big thing, we've been worried sick about you. Hopefully this will mean no more dialysis." Steve stated, not sure why Danny wasn't excited too."We thought that when I started peeing a little, three days ago. Look where it got me today, back on the machine, and struggling to breathe."

"Danny, this is more than just a little." Dawn said. She had seen many patients scared to believe that they might actually be getting better, and needed to reassure her patient. "Since you finished dialysis you've passed 600mls."

"Really?" Danny's eyes lit up.

"Really. Keep this up and you'll be home in no time." Dawn answered.

Danny finally broke into a big grin, and the others could sense the relief flooding from their friend. He had obviously been shaken by the whole experience. Each of the team had expressed concerns to each other about how quiet and withdrawn the detective had been. They were all hopeful that once Danny was home, his mood would improve. Now, finally, they were getting a glimpse of the Danny they knew and loved.

 **TBC**

 **its amazing how excited someone can get over a bit of pee. We used to have a pee dance when I worked on the renal HDU when one of the acute admissions started to improve. Lol. You had to be there I guess.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Note: Time to bring this one to an end. Thank you to everyone for the support and to wenwalke for all the help she gives me.**

 **Chapter Ten**

Danny lay snuggled on his own couch, his head resting on Grace's pink, fluffy, pillow, a blanket pulled up to his chin. He'd just woken from a mid afternoon nap, but was reluctant to move from his comfy position. He'd been released from the hospital 24 hours ago, and was feeling much better now he was home, despite a poor nights sleep.

Thankfully his kidneys had continued to improve. So much that he had ended up back on an IV for the last 48 hrs of his stay, to make sure he didn't get dehydrated again, and hinder his recovery.

Dr. Pearce had finally agreed to discharge him as long as he promised to drink plenty, and agreed to her coming to the house each day to take bloods to check they were still improving. Danny was pretty sure most patients would have to go back to the hospital each day. But he knew Andrea considered him a friend. She knew how anxious he was about the hospital, and was still processing all that had happened to him. So she'd spared him all that by going out of her way each day to come to his house, for which Danny was extremely grateful.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Danny saw that it was almost 3pm and Andrea was due any minute, so he pushed back the blanket and forced himself to sit up. He smiled to himself when he saw a jug of water, with ice and a few slices of lemon floating in it, along with a glass and a note from Steve. His partner must have called to check on him while he was sleeping and attempted, not so subtly, to remind Danny of his need to drink. The detective was amazed at his partner's ninja moves, as he had slept straight through the visit.

He poured himself a glass and enjoyed the refreshing cool water, before making a much needed trip to the bathroom. On the way back there was a knock at the door and Danny's opened it to a smiling Dr. Pearce.

"Hey, Danny, how are you today?"

"Not bad, I just woke up actually." Danny ran a hand over his face, wiping away the last of the sleep from his eyes.

"That's not a bad thing, it will do you good." Dr. Pearce set her bag down on the table and started setting up her things to draw blood.

"You want a drink?" Danny asked his friend.

"That water looks pretty good." Dr. Pearce was pleased to see Danny drinking well.

Danny went into the kitchen and grabbed a second glass then sat back down on the couch and rested his arm on Grace's pillow. Dr. Pearce wrapped a rubber tourniquet around his arm and expertly slid the needle into the vein. Danny watched in fascination as the tube filled with his blood.

"Yesterday's bloods were good." Dr. Pearce informed him. "Hopefully these will be even better. A few more days and we should be in the clear."

"Does that mean I can relax the diet a bit? I don't have much of an appetite at the moment, but I do fancy a good slice."

"Let's see what these bloods show, and if they're good, I'll bring pizza with me tomorrow."

Danny beamed, and his mouth watered at the thought of melted cheese. Dr. Pearce cleared her things away then poured herself a glass of water, just as the front door opened and Steve returned. He was carrying a grocery bag which he dropped off in the kitchen and returned to join the doctor and her patient.

"Hey, doc, how's our sleeping beauty doing?" Danny scowled at his friend, but Steve ignored it.

"Improving nicely. At this rate you should be able to have him back at work by next week."

"Really? That's great." Steve was excited to have his partner back.

"Perhaps just desk work at first though, you'll need to regain your strength, Danny." The doctor advised.

"Oh, great, lots of paperwork to keep me occupied." Danny complained, but really he was glad to be able to get back to work. He wanted to move on from the whole experience, and while he was sat around at home he had plenty of time to think about his time trapped in the trunk, which unfortunately had lead to more nightmares.

"Just make sure you don't fall asleep while doing it, Danno. But then again, you did look pretty cute cuddled up with Grace's pillow. She says thanks for keeping it warm for her, by the way." Steve grinned and flashed his phone at Danny, revealing a picture of the sleeping detective.

"I hate you." Danny cursed. "Did you send that to her?"

"Sure did. She was worried about you." Steve smiled innocently. "I figured I'd leave you sleeping when I called in earlier, so I went and got some groceries. The guys are coming around later and I'm gonna prepare us something to eat. You want to stay doc?"

"That would be lovely Steve, but please call me Andrea. I just need to drop this off at the hospital and I'll be right back." Dr. Pearce waved the blood sample, bid the two men farewell, and left to drop the sample off.

Steve made himself busy in the kitchen while Danny flicked the TV on and started to watch an old film. Before he knew it his eyes were drooping again, he hadn't slept much the night before, between nightmares, and trips to the bathroom, and his body was craving the rest. He closed his eyes for a second with the intent of just resting them, instead he nodded off to sleep, head tilted back, and snoring softly.

Steve entered the room to check on his partner and smiled to himself, before pulling out his phone and taking another snapshot to send off to Grace.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0

"Help!" Danny screamed. "Steve, help me."

He was back in the trunk again, and the air felt like it was being sucked out of his small prison. Smashing the tail light he stared at his hand as blood trickled down his arm, and he started to panic.

Breaths coming fast, and shallow, he banged his fists on the roof and screamed for help again.

"Steve. Help me, get me out of here."

"Danny, I'm here. It's ok. You're safe. Danny, wake up." Steve returned to his partner's side when he heard his name being called out, and he found him in the throws of another nightmare.

Danny thrashed his arms out, and Steve caught him by the wrists. "Danny calm down, wake up for me. Danno come on, wake up."

There was a knock at the door. Dr. Pearce entered and ran to Steve's side. "I heard him shouting from outside, what happened?"

"He was sleeping again. It's another nightmare but I can't wake him up."

Danny was tossing his head back and forth, muttering under his breath. His hair was soaked with sweat, and his skin was almost translucent.

"Danny, wake up." Steve gave his friend a shake. Danny finally opened his eyes and looked around the room, confused by his surroundings.

Dr. Pearce carefully took hold of one of Danny's wrists and checked his pulse, frowning as it raced under her fingertips. "Danny, you just had a nightmare. I need you to take some deep breaths for me.

Danny followed his friend's orders, and gradually managed to get his breathing back under control. Steve released Danny's other wrist and moved to sit at Danny's side, he deliberately sat close to ground his friend.

Fingers still on the pulse, but happy at the now steady rhythm, Dr. Pearce spoke. "Danny, how often are you having these nightmares?"

"Not that often." Danny lied.

"Try that again, Danno." Steve ordered, he could tell by the bags under his friend's eyes that Danny hadn't slept well in a while.

"Ok, I've had a few." Danny replied, still not admitting to the extent of the dreams. "I'm ok. Sorry."

"Danny, I can prescribe you something to help you sleep. The more tired you are, the more likely you are to dream."

"No." Danny replied adamantly, "no thanks. I don't want any drugs. I'll be ok. I just need a bit more time."

"Are you sure Danny?" Steve asked concerned.

"Yeah," Danny felt self conscious under his friend's scrutiny. "I think I've just had more time to think about what happened now I'm not worried sick about my kidneys. Look guys, I promise if they don't settle I'll reconsider."

"And consider talking to someone, a professional?" Dr. Pearce added.

"Jeez, Andrea, I already spend enough mandatory time with the shrink in couples counselling with Steve."

"Couples, counselling?" Dr. Pearce asked confused.

Steve laughed, "It's what the rest of the team call it when Danny and I have to see a shrink over our partnership. The Governor was concerned about the amount of arguing we do and made it mandatory."

"He just doesn't understand it's what we do. It's our thing. Brothers fight." Danny explained.

"They sure do, brother." Steve smiled and patted his friend on the back. "Don't worry Andrea, if the nightmares continue I'll drag him to the shrink myself."

Dr. Pearce smiled, satisfied that Danny was now ok from this latest episode, and Steve, as always, had his friend's back.

"Is something burning?" She asked, changing the subject, much to Danny's relief.

"Oh, crap." Steve cried out, running to the kitchen to attempt to salvage their dinner.

"Did you get my blood results?" Danny asked.

"Sure did. They are all within normal limits now. I still want to monitor them daily for a few more days though." She announced proudly.

"That's great news." Danny said relieved. "Especially because I think I'll be getting that pizza tonight. No way is Steve salvaging those steaks."

Dr. Pearce laughed as the shrill of the smoke alarm broke through the air, and Steve continued to curse from the kitchen.

 **THE END**


End file.
